We had the pleasure of interviewing our wonderful brand partner Alec Zappone of WSMS last week.
Alec recounts the magical story of the roots and culture behind surfing, our need to protect the tranquil beauty of our ocean, and how they combine art, music, and surf into an immersive experience for little lovers of the sea.
“I would say I was mostly inspired to start WSMS Surf Art Camp from witnessing the level of exclusivity in the sport growing up around it. I always felt there was a better way of shaping the community than through judgment and harshness.
On top of that, as a kid, I attended a surf art camp in Cocoa Beach Florida, which is where this idea of combining surf, art, and music originated. I always had such an amazing time coming in from surfing to create artwork under the sun and felt that was the epitome of being a surfer.”- Alec Zappone, Founder of WSMS Surf camp.
“To me, WSMS Surf Art Camp is the start of a movement to make surfing more inclusive. Historically, surfing has not been the most inclusive sport out there. There are tons of barriers to enter as well as judgment and hazing from the elders. Although I do believe there need’s to be certain regulations made for safety, I’ve always felt the right approach to this was through education, not judgment and harshness. This is something that struck me as unfair growing up in the industry as a kid.
WSMS Surf Art Camp was created off of the realization of a need for an all-inclusive, safe surf experience amongst the young generation of surfers here in Saint Augustine Beach Florida.
Most of the neighboring surf camps in our town have an instructor-to-child ratio of 1 to 4 or even 1 to 5.This tends to leave kiddos feeling vulnerable and alone in the ocean.
We do 1 instructor for every 2 campers at our camp, that way an instructor can always have a hand on their student’s board, making our students feel safe at all times in the ocean.”
“On top of that, a driving force of starting this camp came from the belief it is very important to pass on the roots of surf culture to these kids rather than just the skill of surfing, which is where the Art and Music comes into play.
At the origin of surfing, there was lots of music, dancing, and creativity as it was mostly done as a ceremonial practice. As time went on most surfers were both musicians and artists who were known to shape their own surfboards and often seen playing the ukulele or bongos under the sun between surfing sessions.
At our camp we paint on recycled materials from construction sites and teach the basics of the ukulele, an instrument that directly correlates to surfing’s origins.Last but not least, we are proud to be known as a camp that does not force any kids to surf if they are not feeling comfortable or confident and instead offer what we call a “free swim” group to any that may be feeling timid.
Free swim is when the kids go out in a group with body boards or just swim to get acclimated to the oceans movements and power.”
We asked Alec to explain the movement behind the camp, and how he instills the love for our oceans in budding surfers at such a young age.
“To me, WSMS Surf Art Camp is the start of a movement to make surfing more inclusive. Historically, surfing has not been the most inclusive sport out there. There are tons of barriers to enter as well as judgment and hazing from the elders. Although I do believe there need’s to be certain regulations made for safety, I’ve always felt the right approach to this was through education, not judgment and harshness. This is something that struck me as unfair growing up in the industry as a kid.
The ocean is something we all have the right to play in and seeing how hard it is for some men and women to get into surfing inspired me at a young age to be the change I wanted to see in this industry and sport.”
At OCEANR, we are on a mission to reclaim the oceans by removing as much plastic waste as we can and recycling it into something new. Along with the help of our ocean-loving brand partners, we want to inspire and enable others to live more eco-conscious lives both on and off the water.
For Alec, he sought a design that would bring a little smile to all those who attended camp, a design that stood out on the water, and most importantly a sustainable design that was crafted to protect the ocean.
“My inspiration behind the WSMS Camp apparel designs stems from happiness and positivity. We consider our campers at WSMS Surf Camp as the “Happy Campers” and I wanted our apparel to portray that upon first glance.
I would say through collaborating with the designers at OCEANR my visions of design for our apparel came to life and then some. I am very grateful for the crew at OCEANR.”
Our designer Ana created a bespoke, sustainable clothing range for the Team & Kiddies in WSMS Surt Art Music camp committed to removing plastic from the ocean and reclaiming post-consumer waste from our environment.
We use recycled polyester in our custom rashguards, which is an eco-fabric derived from post-consumer waste. Recycled polyester can be recycled again, which is why this material is highly valued in the circular economy!
Most of the recycled polyester we use is made out of recycled plastic water bottles these bottles are recycled with a mechanical process that first transforms them into flakes and pellets, which are then spun into high-quality yarn.
 Every WSMS-designed rash guard prevents 12 plastic bottles from entering the environment from entering the eco-system.
We are overjoyed at the power of our sustainable clothing collaboration and how it can become part of the solution.
Our total combined clothing collection prevented 840 plastic bottles from entering the ecosystem!
Ana created a bespoke range of rash vests in various colours with utterly gorgeous, quirky floral designs to appeal to every age group.
Alec notes, “I believe the ocean has a tremendous impact on our students and instructors. It is a place we all come to heal and grow stronger as individuals. The ocean teaches both our students and instructors that hard work, determination, and consistency nearly always pays off. These lessons are easily translated into our everyday lives.”
We asked Alec which OCEANR product stood out to him, in both design, durability, and environmental impact.
“The rash vests made with mostly recycled materials are our favorite product. These rash vests are very comfortable and durable compared to others we have used in the past. The fact they are made from recycled materials makes them that much more special to us, however, the functionality of them may be the most notable. On top of protecting the kids from the sun, they are very flexible and snug-fitting, just as a rash vest should be!”
“I have two summer programs: A 4-day Surf Art Music camp for kids aged 7-14 and a 2-day Surf Art Music camp for 4-6 year kids called the “Micro Groms Camp”.
As well as two Afterschool Programs that run 3 days a week during the school year. These programs are like surf practice. There is a paddle-in  group, where the intermediate kids that can paddle out and catch waves on their own come and are verbally coached by my instructors. Then there is a “Push-in” afterschool program group where kids come to be pushed in by my instructors similar to our summer camp. The push-in group is known as our “Integration Afterschool Program ”, because the goal is to integrate these kiddos into an independent place in the ocean. Aka progressing them to a level where they no longer need to be pushed into waves and get to experience the ultimate freedom of ocean independence!”
At OCEANR, we’ve always believed that our greatest impact will not be just what we do, but how much – through our words and actions – together with our brand partners, we can influence individuals and organizations to take on that sustainable journey and in turn, influence others to do the same.
We would like to thank Alec for his time in the telling of such a beautiful story, we can’t wait to see the rest of the WSMS story unfold!
A ripple effect for positive action to restore ecosystems and the health of our beautiful oceans.
To see more of our creatively crafted designs committed to ocean conservancy, please visit the catalogue below- we promise they won’t disappoint..!
We offer our expertise in sustainable apparel and product design to help you contribute to a better future and appeal to the eco-conscious consumer . Working closely with you, we will create mood boards and a range of design options that best represent your brand’s essence. Leveraging our skilled in-house team gives you access to a breadth of product development experience from idea generation to concept development, prototyping and launch. We can also work together to enhance your sustainability profile via Case Studies, Press Releases, Social Media promotion and more. Get in contact to learn more!
